The percentage of mothers in Northern Ireland who breastfeed is by far the lowest in the UK, new figures suggest.

Only 74% of mums from Northern Ireland believe that breastfeeding is the best way to feed their baby, according to the Lansinoh Breastfeeding Survey 2012.

This is by far the lowest percentage in the UK where the national average is 86%.

The survey also indicates that 50% of women in Northern Ireland felt they didn’t receive enough support from their midwife. In addition, one in five mums here said they had only been told the basics and not how to cope with problems that arise from breastfeeding.

Nearly 60% of mums in Northern Ireland either had fear or felt embarrassed about breastfeeding in public.

Surprisingly it turns out over a quarter of the 1,200 mothers surveyed across the UK said that mums who breastfeed in public are attention seeking.